OPI TALK

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Episodes

Hear the latest news, interviews and analysis from the business supplies industry hosted by OPI, the leading media organisation for the international office products sector.

Episodes

Monday Dec 21, 2020

OPI editorial team: 2020 round-up and 2021 predictions

Monday Dec 21, 2020

OPI's editorial team, along with CEO Steve Hilleard, take a look at the biggest stories and developments in the business products industry in 2020, and make their predictions for 2021.

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

Wednesday Dec 16, 2020

ACCO Brands' Boris Elisman on the office products channel

Wednesday Dec 16, 2020

The guest in this episode of OPI Talk is Boris Elisman, CEO of ACCO Brands.

ACCO has recently announced a significant acquisition, buying video games accessories manufacturer PowerA in a deal worth up to $400 million. This is part of a strategy to transform ACCO into a consumer products-oriented branded supplier.

With this in mind, OPI News Editor Andy Braithwaite asks Boris about how he views the office products channel, given the secular declines in many core categories and the challenges thrown up by the COVID-19 crisis…

Friday Dec 04, 2020

Podcast: Jonathan Withey talks about business and sustainability

Friday Dec 04, 2020

This week’s episode of OPI’s podcast, OPI Talk, is all about sustainability and how to improve a company’s environmental credentials.

OPI Deputy Editor Michelle Sturman speaks with The Planet Mark Head of Business Development Jonathan Withey, an expert on sustainability who also has in-depth knowledge of the business supplies industry.

He discusses the journey to becoming more sustainable, how to reduce your carbon footprint and aim for net zero, the benefits of social value, the rise of plastics, and employee engagement.

The podcast features exclusive extracts from the Big Interview conducted with Jonathan for the November/December issue of OPI. Read the interview here.

Episode produced by Michelle Sturman (assisted by Andy Braithwaite)
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

Friday Nov 27, 2020

ECI CEO Ron Books talk about latest private equity transaction, the independent dealer channel and business life during COVID

Friday Nov 27, 2020

Software provider ECI – a key partner for many business products dealers –recently announced it is to be acquired by private equity firm LGP.

Earlier this week, just before the Thanksgiving break in the US, OPI News Editor Andy Braithwaite spoke to Ron via Zoom to find out more about the transaction and for his thoughts on how the independent channel has been faring during the coronavirus crisis.

Friday Nov 20, 2020

Podcast: One-to-ones from the Amazon Business ABX conference

Friday Nov 20, 2020

What are the priorities for Amazon Business UK? Why did a large public sector customer turn to Amazon Business during the COVID-19 crisis?

Listen to this OPI Talk podcast as Dave Brittain, Head of Amazon Business UK, and Paul Ashby, Strategic Procurement Manager at Oxfordshire County Council, answer these questions and more during conversations with OPI News Editor Andy Braithwaite.

This 20-minute podcast features extracts from those two interviews, conducted during the Amazon Business ABX conference in October. For a more comprehensive write-up and analysis, including thoughts on how the contract channel for office products might evolve, please read this article on the OPI website.

Wednesday Nov 04, 2020

OPI CEO Steve Hilleard on why business supplies executives should participate in the OPI European Forum Online

Wednesday Nov 04, 2020

OPI CEO Steve Hilleard talks about industry disruption and why business supplies executives should participate in the OPI European Forum Online on 17-18 November.

One of the key themes of the upcoming OPI European Forum Online is the need to adapt to the accelerating changes we are seeing in our industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virtual event has been designed to serve as a platform for industry leaders to debate the future of the business products sector. With the tagline ‘Winning in the Post-Pandemic Business Supplies Industry’, the Forum will cover a range of essential topics to ensure executives can maximise their chances of success once the world returns to a semblance of normality.

The Forum will include a keynote by Matthijs Rosman, a best-selling business author and Partner at innovative growth consultancy firm RevelX. He will help delegates design go-forward strategies to enable them to innovate their way out of this crisis.

Thursday Oct 15, 2020

The future of the workplace with Martin Evetts

Thursday Oct 15, 2020

One of the crucial issues at the moment for the business supplies industry is what the workplace, in particular the office, will look like post-COVID 19.

While we don’t know all the answers yet, one person who is well placed to talk about this topic is Martin Evetts, the Managing Director UK & Ireland for contract furniture specialist Haworth. Martin has been with Haworth for almost 20 years and his career in the property sector goes back to the 1980s.

In this episode of OPI Talk, OPI News Editor Andy Braithwaite speaks with Martin about his experiences of COVID-19 and what permanent changes the pandemic might have on how businesses organise their workspaces.

Tuesday Sep 29, 2020

Talking print with Ray Stasieczko

Tuesday Sep 29, 2020

This week’s episode of the OPI Talk podcast features well-know document imaging channel commentator Ray Stasieczko.

Ray has been making a name for himself over the past couple of years with his End of the Day with Ray daily videos and his strong views on how the copier and print sector needs to evolve.

Speaking to Ray via a Zoom video link, OPI’s Andy Braithwaite asked him about the impact of COVID-19 on the B2B print market, industry consolidation, the Staples-DEX acquisition, and how office products dealers fit into the print picture.

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

Wednesday Sep 16, 2020

Podcast: ISSA’s Dianna Steinbach talks about the importance of and opportunities in cleaning in COVID-19 times

Wednesday Sep 16, 2020

This week’s episode of OPI’s podcast, OPI Talk, is all about health and hygiene in the workplace, a topic that has never been more important. How can independent dealers in the business supplies sector capitalise on the opportunities that this category presents in the current pandemic? How can they help their customers make offices COVID-secure as employees slowly get back to their usual place of work? Where are the challenges and how can they be overcome?

OPI’s Heike Dieckmann put these and many other questions to the expert – Dianna Steinbach, VP of International Services at global cleaning association ISSA

Thursday Sep 10, 2020

Technology and the independent office products dealer

Thursday Sep 10, 2020

One of the impacts of COVID-19 has been an acceleration of the shift to e-commerce and all things digital.

What does this mean for the independent business products dealer?

In this episode, OPI News Editor Andy Braithwaite is joined by technology solutions expert TJ Crayne. TJ has been involved in this side of the OP industry for more than 30 years, holding various executive positions in the software and wholesale channels.

President of consulting firm PTC Associates, one of TJ’s is current responsibilities is Director of IT for leading dealer organisation Independent Suppliers Group.

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite
Music by
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg